Franklin
by Canadino
Summary: It's hard pretending you're dead...? Chocolove/Lys WELCOME BACK LAWLIETTO!


**Disclaimer: If Shaman King were mine, I wouldn't need to write fanfics. **

I do not own Paramore or their songs. I do not own Guys and Dolls.

Note: I was really shocked to find that there were no stories at all on about this pairing! It makes sense and I am a supporter of it. KUDOS LAWLIETTO FOR RETURNING! Again, this alternate ending is a figment of imagination.

Franklin - Paramore

"_Obadiah." "Obadiah? What's that?" "Obadiah Masterson. That's my real name."_

"_Franklin."_

_One of the boys watching the musical on television turned to the other. "What?"_

"_Franklin. It's my real name."_

_The other boy stared at him. Franklin, or Chocolove, as everyone now called him, turned to face the greenette beside him. "I thought I'd just tell you that."_

"_Why would you think you needed to tell me that for?"_

"_Just a preparation for this…" He leaned forward…_

Lyserg Diethyl slowly opened his eyes, feeling the starchy white sheets on top of him shift as his bedmate moved in his sleep. The light trying to enter the hotel room from the window was faint, as it tried to push against the curtain for entrance and failing again and again. This caused the room to be in considerable darkness. Lyserg sat up and was vaguely aware of his bedhead, his hair falling over identically colored eyes; green, sometimes intense and dark, sometimes light and pretty. He slid off the bed and shuffled to the bathroom.

As he switched the light on, he looked in the mirror. Someone foreign looked back at him, with eyes that had seen almost everything, with an expression that had once been called 'too cute'. Now it just looked tired and sad. He wasn't sure if he could handle this lifestyle anymore. It was extremely strenuous, but he couldn't stop. He had gotten used to living like this, and besides, he couldn't leave _him_ all alone…

There was a shuffle of feet and Lyserg barely turned as someone else entered the bathroom. "Ohiyo, Lyserg."

"Ohiyo, Choco-san."

Chocolove McDaniel turned to look at Lyserg. "What are you looking for? You're still cute as always." He smiled and ruffled Lyserg's hair.

_And when we get home_

_I know we won't be home at all_

_This place we live_

_In is not where we belong._

As the sound of running water drowned out Choco's bad singing, Lyserg sat on the lazy boy next to the window and looked out at the cloudy sky. Choco hadn't been able to see for two years now…how had he still have remembered his face? With the help of Paschal Avaf and Mic Jaguar, Choco was able walk around and not draw attention (except for the fact he wore sunglasses to hide his white eyes), but that didn't hide the fact he still couldn't see. What a sacrifice it was, to give up your eyesight in exchange for a life.

The only good thing about Choco's blindness was that Lyserg was certain it wasn't a shallow relationship. He had a feeling that practically everyone around him had some sort of crush on him just because he was so adorable. But Choco hadn't really had a good look at him for a while. Hao had tried to come on to him once, but Lyserg wouldn't let the pyro shaman's charms get to him; Hao was just in it for the looks. Lyserg drew his knees closer to his body to try and warm them in the chilly room and rested his head on his knees.

_And I miss who we were_

_And the town that we could call our own_

_Going back to get away_

_After everything has changed…_

_After everything had changed…_

Lyserg was still sitting on the chair, fully dressed as Choco bustled around the room blindly (pun intended) to get all their stuff ready for the move. Lyserg wondered how he had managed to stay caught up with this fast-track lifestyle…the two of them were constantly on the move; Choco, on the run from the cops for the homicide of the Golem children's dad along with other crimes, and Lyserg, on the run from his past and in search for his future. After the problem in the form of Hao had been eliminated, Lyserg found himself empty-handed. Without Hao, there were no X-Laws. Practically everyone in the organization had been killed and Jeanne had disappeared after the Shaman Fight. Feeling lonely and isolated in the world, Lyserg wasn't sure what to do next when Choco had invited him over to his (then) current place of residence for a movie…

"Everything's set," Choco said, clapping his hands together. "Now let's go over the drill."

Lyserg sighed. "I know it, but I don't get it."

Choco adjusted his sunglasses and proceeded to give the speech he had given almost a million times before. "If we are somehow stopped by the cops in any point in time, you don't know me, I don't know you, we just happened to be walking next to each other. You are not travelling with me and I am just a stranger on the street."

"Choco-san, I don't get why I can't be with you."

"Lyserg." Choco crossed the room, quickly for a blind person, and stood in front of Lyserg. "Lyserg, you know I don't want to get you caught up in all this." He leaned forward and placed his hands on Lyserg's shoulders. The greenette squirmed a bit under Choco's grasp, but the dark-skinned boy didn't relent. "It was your decision to come with me, and I don't want you getting caught up in my business. I love you." He leaned his forehead against Lyserg's. They remained like this for a minute and a heartbeat before Choco straightened up. "And another thing: call me Choco. Let's go."

_So we stand here now_

_And no one knows us at all_

_I won't get used to this_

_I won't get used to being gone_

_And going back won't feel the same_

_If we aren't staying._

They had arrived at a train station near the hotel. The train was just pulling in and Lyserg was aware of all the people around them. Anyone of them here could have noticed the two of them, noticed Choco, but no one even looked at them. Lyserg stood on the platform for a moment, looking at the world around them when Choco grabbed the greenette's wrist and pulled him into an empty compartment. Lyserg sank down into a seat as Choco shoved their luggage in hammocks above their heads and put their coats on the seat next to Lyserg. Chocolove himself sat across from Lyserg and gave the greenette a smile.

"Can you wait?" he asked, almost whispered. "We're going someplace near Funbari."

Lyserg glanced down at the ground. It was always like this. Choco was always looking after him, making sure he was feeling okay. He could take care of himself. It had always been like this…Choco had been through so much hell (pun also intended) that the teen barely needed to worry about himself at all.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lyserg shook his head, and realized that Choco probably wouldn't have heard him. "Nothing," he said softly. "I'm just remembering when we started this whole thing."

_Going back to get away_

_After everything has changed…_

_After everything has changed…_

_After everything has changed…_

Lyserg was standing there, staring at the jumble in front of Yoh that was Hao. The content smile on the still pyro shaman's face…his headphone-totting friend, sighing from the effort. It was hard to feel anything at the moment…there was no sense of accomplishment, no feelings of joy.

"Did we do the right thing?" Lyserg vaguely remembered Horo asking.

Yoh turned and gave the four of them a look, something steely, as if there was something behind the calm face waiting, wanting to come out. Then it broke into a strained face and Yoh turned to Ren. "Gee, I don't know. What do you think, Ren?"

This made the mood much lighter, but Lyserg turned to Hao, to the still body close to him. This had been his goal…he had accomplished it perfectly, and now what was left?

Celebration was in no one's mind, which was why Lyserg had been surprised when Choco had asked him to go over to the 'Team the Ren's headquarters to watch a movie with him. Personally, Lyserg didn't remember seeing a television where Ren, Horohoro, and Choco trained, but he was glad for the change in subject and quickly agreed.

The two had the whole place alone; Horo and Ren had decided to stay at Yoh's place for the night and the two spent some time in silence, flipping through the half-broken black and white television until a program flipped on. It was an American musical: Guys and Dolls.

It was already half way through the movie, when Choco had broken the silence by suddenly revealing his real name: Franklin. Lyserg always knew the (really bad) comedian's name wasn't really Chocolove, but he hadn't been expecting it to be so plain. He had been expecting something like…well, he wasn't sure exactly. To hide his surprise, Lyserg asked why Choco had suddenly came out to say it when the older boy leaned forward and kissed him.

_Instrumental_

"Ah," Choco said, sounding like an all knowing sage. "Back to that ghetto? I can't believe you still remember it."

"Don't you?" Lyserg jolted forward as the train started moving.

"Yeah, but I've been through many places and I don't get hooked onto any particular place."

Lyserg was silent. After Choco had sprang the kiss on him and revealed to the greenette feelings he himself wasn't aware of, the other boy turned the television off and told Lyserg he was going to be leaving as soon as possible and would disappear. Lyserg, still reeling from the confession and confusion about his own life, insisted to come along. He hadn't been planning on returning Choco's feelings, but after a few months of travelling, he found himself growing closer to the blind boy than before. Thus, the two of them on a train to who knows where in Japan near Funbari.

"Are we going to stop by Yoh's?" Lyserg asked, changing the subject.

"We can't risk it. They're looking for me. Those Golem kids can't stop the law." Choco shook his head. "We can't contact anyone we know. We have to be dead to the world."

Dead to the world. Lyserg had always been isolated from the world, but he had friends now. Friends who he was sure were worried about the two, and besides, he wanted to know how Yoh was doing. He bit his lip and tried not to sound anywhere near disappointed. Choco's instincts were too good for that though.

"I know you're disappointed. Bear with me for a little while longer."

_Taking up our time again_

_Go back again, go back it all_

_Taking up our time again_

_Go back again, go back it all_

The train had been on the move for a while now and the two were sitting in silence. Lyserg stared out the window at the greenery around them flying by like a scene in fast-forward. This was their lives; windows with scenery flying by them. Cars that shot down the street like bullets. Shadows that stayed away from the light. Corpses six feet below.

"Choco, I don't want to do this anymore."

Choco looked up. He had been listening to Lyserg's tone of voice lately and knew the greenette wanted to say this. The tone suggested that Lyserg wanted to stay with him, to travel with him until the end of time, but Choco knew the greenette was tired and sick of hiding. Sick of always moving and living in constant fear. And the greenette didn't have any reason to feel these things, but he cared enough for him to burden himself with the same feelings. Choco didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it, but I…" Lyserg's voice trailed away. Choco stood up and sat next to Lyserg. The greenette leaned his head on Choco's shoulder and Choco could hear the younger boy's silent sobs. "I don't think I can handle this anymore."

Choco didn't say anything. _I know you can't. I know it's selfish of me to ask so much of you. I know it's unfair to keep saying 'Bear with me a while longer', because I know it will be a long, long while._

Lyserg fell silent. He had closed his eyes. Maybe he could just sleep on it and he'd wake up feeling better. But he doubted it; he had felt this restlessness for a while now.

"I know, I know," Choco murmured, ruffling Lyserg's head. He waited until the greenette's breathing became softer as he covered him with his coat. He had known this was coming, so he had prepared himself. This train's last stop was Funbari, but he'd get off a few stops before. He'd let Lyserg sleep. He'd leave the greenette's life before he completely destroyed him. Choco put on his coat as the train started to slow down for a stop.

"Lyserg…I believe it's pronounced aishiteru in Japanese." Choco chuckled to himself…such an important phrase just had to have the word 'shit' in it, didn't it? "Aishiteru, Lyserg. I'll be back." He tipped his sunglasses to the sleeping figure in the seat, took his luggage, and got off the train.

_Cause you remind me of the time_

_When we felt so alive_

_Do you remember that?_

_Do you remember that?_

Owari

----------------------------

Hao's supposed to be dead. I'm sorry I killed him off.

I made up the Franklin part.

Depending on the reviews, I may or may not write a sequel.


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